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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25101949">The Unfortunate Tale of Lydia Bethune</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/parisique'>parisique (orphan_account)</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Miraculous Ladybug</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Don't mess with them, F/M, Gen, Marinette and Chloé and Alix rule the school, Prequel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:35:18</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,761</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25101949</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/parisique</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Before Lila, there was Lydia.</p><p>There is no longer a Lydia.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Alix Kubdel, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Chloé Bourgeois &amp; Alix Kubdel, Chloé Bourgeois &amp; Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug &amp; Alix Kubdel</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>378</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Unfortunate Tale of Lydia Bethune</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>You asked, and I answered.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>If you had asked her, Lydia Bethune would have told you that yes, she was friends with Marinette Dupain-Cheng. The girl smiled back at her in the hallways, what other student could say that? (Every other student who offered Marinette Dupain-Cheng a smile in the hallway would have told you that, actually - because unless you’d done something to grievously wrong her, if you smiled at Marinette in the hallway in passing, she’d smile back.) And being such close friends with Marinette made Lydia think she had an in to the Circle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Circle, Lydia would tell you with a patronizing smile, was what the rest of the school called the group at the top of the social strata - led by Marinette, the group was largely regarded to consist of Chloé Bourgeois, the mayor’s daughter, Alix Kubdel, the fierce skater, Nino Lahiffe and Lê Chiến Kim, Marinette’s childhood friends (though the former had made friends with a Fly, so that was debatable), and Aurore Beauréal, a local weather girl. And of course Lydia herself fit right in - after all, she was going to be a famous actress. One of the best, right up there with Marion Cotillard and Audrey Tautou and Emmanuelle Béart.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Flies, Lydia would continue with another condescending smile, even though you didn’t ask, are the opposite of the Circle. The lowest of the low, they’re who you don’t want to be - take, for example, Alya Césaire. Social outcast, though she was somehow close with Nino Lahiffe - he always had been too nice for his own good. Except for him, no one talked with her unless absolutely necessary.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, these were things only a special few like Lydia knew (because they’d been made up to make them feel special, and a little closer to Marinette and Chloé and Alix. But if you asked them about it, they’d get all defensive and argue with you and storm off with flushed cheeks. Marinette and Chloé and Alix would shake their heads or roll their eyes or snort dismissively if you asked them about it). For Lydia Bethune considered herself to be a social expert of Collège Françoise Dupont. Any normal student would say she was just another person obsessed with climbing the social ladder - and she was doing it wrong.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>On that bright, sunny day when Adrien Agreste came walking into school, the entire courtyard saw how Chloé rushed up to him and greeted him like an old friend. The students took note of the fact that he was introduced to Alix and thought, ah, so he’s with them. And Lydia Bethune saw how Alix looked him up and down, gave a nod, and shook his hand and she thought, aha, if I were his girlfriend, I would be one step closer to both being an actual member of the Circle and one step closer to being a famous actress.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That morning, as she sat in class, Lydia plotted. She had her phone out under the desk, and while one hand scribbled across the page in the guise of notetaking, the other thumbed through Adrien Agreste interviews.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Q: What’s your ideal girl like?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>AA: My ideal girl? </b>
  <b>
    <em>He laughs.</em>
  </b>
  <b> Well, she’d be great - kind and sweet, with a great sense of humour. Artistic, maybe, and I’d imagine her to be shorter than I am by just a little - good leverage for short jokes. But I really think I’ll just know, when we meet, when I look into her eyes. Cheesy, I know, but, yeah.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Q:What’s the first thing you notice when meeting someone?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>AA: Their eyes - that’s how you know whether they’re kind or not. And their smile - a nice smile is really different from a fake one. And how they hold themselves, I guess. Confidence, no confidence - that sort of thing.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <b>Q: Do you have a girlfriend?</b>
</p><p>
  <b>AA: No, not yet. </b>
  <b>
    <em>He laughs.</em>
  </b>
  <b> Maybe one day, if I can find someone to put up with all my cat jokes - or maybe I’ll become one of those old guys who lives alone with, like, 50 cats.</b>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Lunch would be the perfect time to execute her plan, Lydia thought - and then class was promptly interrupted by some stone monster thing. A pity, but it would give her more time to research Adrien Agreste. Lunch tomorrow would have to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But later that day, Lydia stumbled upon a newly released interview where Adrien stated he wasn’t currently in the market for a girlfriend and would be focusing on his studies. Well, didn’t that just put a rut in her plan?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But let it never be said that Lydia Bethune gave up on her dreams. Because when school rolled around the next day, she was armed (with Adrien Agreste facts) and ready (to trick him into a date).</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lydia walked into school. She looked around the courtyard. There were Chloé and Alix, talking near the locker rooms, but no Adrien. It was fine, though, and Lydia could wait. So, she went and got her books, smiling at certain people in the locker room - Aurore, Kim, and Nino. Aurore was busy talking to her classmate and former rival Mireille, Kim was busy talking to Max and his robot, and Nino was busy talking to Alya the Fly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She shrugged as she gathered her books. It was no big deal - it wasn’t like they were all that important anyways. After all, Lydia had her sights set on the big prize.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As she walked back out into the courtyard, she saw Marinette, Adrien, Alix, and Chloé disappear up the stairs. Again, no big deal - it gave her more time to practice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>At precisely four minutes after the lunch bell rang, Lydia strutted into the lunchroom. No one paid her any mind as she grabbed a tray and filled it up, nor did they really notice as she started towards the table where her targets sat.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The tray hit the table with a slam, the dishes rattling from her force. Everyone at the table looked at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Lydia,” Marinette said, her tone unidentifiable.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lydia surveyed their faces - Marinette remained neutral as she took a bite of food, Alix was ignoring her, Chloé was glaring, and Adrien was smiling kindly at her. “Hi,” Lydia declared, looking at Adrien.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His brows drew together in confusion, but he kept the smile on his face as he responded, “Hello?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Lydia,” she said, extending her hand, “Lydia Bethune.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adrien shook it. “I’m Adrien Agreste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know,” Lydia said, “and I also know that you’re really good at playing the piano. I was wondering if you might be willing to give me a lesson sometime - I play too, but I’m nowhere near as good as you are, I bet.” She smiled at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, sorry,” Adrien said, now frowning the slightest bit, “that’s not really -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Lydia had a backup plan. “That’s okay! Do you want to come to my sister’s recital, then? It’s at 3, this Saturday.” She pulled the admission ticket from her pocket - well, she pulled the envelope decorated with glitter and a ribbon with the card with the ticket tucked inside from her pocket - and proffered it to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Excuse me,” Chloé butted in, placing her hand on Adrien’s forearm and leaning towards Lydia, “did you just ask him on a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date</span>
  </em>
  <span>?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was at this moment that Lydia happened to notice that the cafeteria was rather quiet. And she felt an unusual amount of eyeballs staring at her from all directions.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lydia chuckled uncomfortably. “Um, well, it’s no-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You totally did,” Chloé said accusingly, “you, little miss nobody, just tried to </span>
  <em>
    <span>trick Adrien Agreste into going on a date with you</span>
  </em>
  <span>!” Lydia tried to protest, but she was cut off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will your parents be there?” Alix Kubdel reclined in her seat, staring at Lydia scrutinizingly. Lydia shook her head slowly. “So, you just invited Adrien to sit with you in a dark room for at least an hour while listening to romantic music.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” Lydia said, “that’s really not what I-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why is there a bow on that envelope,” Chloé demanded, “why couldn’t you just give him the ticket by itself?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you that wannabe actress?” Alix added, “are you trying to use Adrien to boost your social status?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not a wannab-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, and I’m not a blonde.” Chloé rolled her eyes as she stood, letting go of Adrien’s arm and rounding the table to put herself nose-to-nose with Lydia. “I know exactly who you are, Lydia Bethune - you’re the girl who’s been following us around for years, making note of every person we talk to and every breath we breathe, and you’re the one who’s been making all those lists of people who you think we’re cool with and the people you think we hate - and somehow, in all that time, you’ve managed to forget that we hate little stalkers who have flat hair and gaudy clothes and no real life. You know, people like you?” For every step Chloé took forward, Lydia stepped back, until they’d rounded the table and Lydia felt the edge of it press against her lower back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, leave her,” Alix said, “all she’ll ever be is a wannabe, she’s not worth it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“More like a nobody,” Chloé smirked.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Lydia turned to look at Marinette. Marinette had always been kind, and given her smiles in the halls - surely they were friends, surely she would call Chloé and Alix off?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But Marinette simply stared back, her eyebrows raised slightly as if to say, </span>
  <em>
    <span>well?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Lydia turned to look at Adrien.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>His stare was as steady as Marinette’s, and he gave a little shrug as if to say,</span>
  <em>
    <span> sorry.</span>
  </em>
  <span> But Lydia knew he wasn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Buzz off, Fly,” Alix sighed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And Lydia Bethune took the inch that Chloé gave when the blonde stepped back, somehow maneuvering through the lunch tables and out of the cafeteria. Chloé sighed and picked up the envelope she’d left behind, tearing it in half with a satisfying flourish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank god we got rid of her,” Alix muttered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Under the table, Marinette nudged Adrien’s foot with her own and raised her brows at him. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Are you okay?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>He gave her a smile and knocked her foot back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And so not a soul ever tried to interact with Lydia Bethune again. Remember the lesson that her story teaches you: Oftentimes, you are not as subtle as you think. Riding on others’ coattails will never get you what you really want. And never, ever cross the Queens of Collège Françoise Dupont (not unless you want to become a Fly).</span>
</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>As always, comments and constructive crit are welcome! Any and all lore-related questions about this AU will be answered in the comments. Thank you for reading!</p></blockquote></div></div>
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